xperia arc s earphone - 'fixed' 3 times - Xperia Arc Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi.
Wifey has an xperia Arc S. Not rooted, flashed or customised at all.
Earphone stopped working outside of Orange warranty so off it went to Phone4u for a free repair.
Week later returned and tested in shop - earpiece working.
Next day wifey got a call and again, they could hear her but she couldnt hear them.
Off the phone4u again.
Week later returned and tested in shop - earpiece working.
Next day wifey got another call and again, they could hear her but she couldnt hear them.
Off the phone4u for a third time
Two weeks later (yesterday) returned and tested in shop - earpiece working
Today ? guess what ? earpiece not working again.
All we have done is to set up her google account and install less tha 10 apps - all from the Play store so nothing dubious.
Ive managed to check in the service menu and the loudspeaker works fine (so she could use the phone on speakerphone) but the earpiece has no sound.
Anyone else found similar issues ?
I cant even see that its s/w related as it started off being an issue on stock gingerbread but each time it comes back from phones4u they claim to have 'updated to the latest version'.
She is now at a point where phones4u will offer her a replacement phone - but i doubt it will be anything great - to cover the last 6 months of her contract.
just cant understand it

Related

New earpiece question

So my earpiece has gone.
Not crackly, not distorted, just nothing - silence.
It was fine a couple of days ago and now it's completely dead.
The phone hasn't been dropped (well, tossed on a mattress/duvet when I'm heading to bed but not onto anything hard and from no great height), I haven't tempted fate by submerging it, I've properly nursed this phone and it's still died on me.
The one thing that I did do between it working and today was flash a different ROM.
I'm just wondering whether there's any chance that might've had something to do with it?
I went from '3.4.2 131-003' to '3.4.2-155-2'.
I know it's a long shot but that couldn't possibly be the cause, could it?
Many people have already complained about that problem (just google it!), return the phone (if your warranty isn't void because of the flashing, but i think it only affects software warranty), and they'll get you a new one. As far as I know, the newly produced defys don't have that defect anymore, mine - which I bought a couple of weeks ago - works just fine (fingers crossed!).
I'm aware that it's a known issue, I was asking because it seems that normally the earpiece gets crackly then dies whereas mine has gone from absolutely fine to completely dead in a couple of days with no usage in-between and the fact it happened after I flashed a new ROM seems coincidental to say the least.
As for the warranty, I have flashed ROMs, so fingers crossed.
same problem
I've the same problem.. no crackling, total silence. yesterday it worked perfectly fine, but since today no sound at all.
didn't do anything weird with it; flashed another froyo rom one week ago, but I can hardly imagine it has something to do with it...
I red there were more persons with a earpiece problem, but I couldn't find anyone who's got total silence from one moment to another..
is there info about this issue?
greetz
mine has gone from working to total silent the way mine was crackly was if i blew into it, it would work sometimes but now nothing at all i need to get a replaceable but dnt ave time
The problem is due to a bad connection, so I suppose it is possible it would break cleanly, going from working to silence with no interference/crackling.
I was just hoping I could fix it myself without having to rely on the Motorola warranty lottery
The fix-it-yourself thread is here. It's easily done if you are even mildly practical. I have sourced 2 SE K850i earpieces as a hedge against the future, once I'm out of warranty.
However, I am currently in warranty, so I sent an email regarding my Defy to Motorola as soon as my earpiece started acting-up. I tried to demand a replacement on the grounds that they were offering for sale devices that they knew were defective. Unfortunately, they were adamant that a repair was my only option so I sent my phone to their centre. I followed their advice, backing up, removing SIM and SD card, performing factory wipe from within Settings/Location & Security, and only sending the phone.
My phone had a custom ROM with the "android" text boot-loader so it was obviously not stock but there have been no complaints from them and I'm able to track my phone through their system. It's been repaired and is in "final testing". I'm expecting it back early next week.
Given the perceived "openness" of android, it would be a PR disaster for Motorola to void the hardware warranty on the grounds of software modification.
Step666 said:
So my earpiece has gone.
Not crackly, not distorted, just nothing - silence.
...
The one thing that I did do between it working and today was flash a different ROM.
I'm just wondering whether there's any chance that might've had something to do with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmm, i have something to say ... i flashed lots of different roms, two weeks ago i went back to China 0.26, still one of the best in terms of performance BUT, i had some trouble with the earpiece.
The first time it happened i thought "ok my earpiece has gone", it was just silent, people could hear me and i could hear nothing. Surprisingly after a reboot the earpiece was working, then silence again the day after... so on for 3 - 4 times.
Then i flashed the 3.4.2-155 and the problem disapperead. No failure, no silence, after 10 days it still works.
So, could it be the problem was related to that specific rom or software i used?
Btw, did you try to flash back to your previous rom?
I got same issue last week, and my mobile operator change my phone by a new one.
It's a know pb with first MB525 products.
After flashing did-you remove back door and battery to power off/power on you phone ?
I think when we do that, we push on the back of phone and so increase earpiece failure risk.
Thanks, I'd seen that thread before but I'm still well inside my warranty and have no urge to risk voiding it any more than I potentially already have.
I have no qualms about having to send the phone back to Motorola, I just want to be sure it'll be fixed when I do is all.
It's a shame that Motorola don't allow third-parties to fix the handsets - I know an engineer that works for one of the UK high street mobile phone retailers and he says that any earpiece issues, they have to send the phones back to Motorola themselves, they can't even source the necessary parts.
If they could fix it, I wouldn't think twice about the ROM as I know he couldn't care less, he'd get it sorted for me.
technome said:
Given the perceived "openness" of android, it would be a PR disaster for Motorola to void the hardware warranty on the grounds of software modification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, since the issue is known to be purely hardware and there are plenty of cases of it afflicting handsets that are entirely stock, they would leave themselves in a very shaky legal situation.
Personally, I think I'd prefer to have my current handset repaired instead of replaced as it seems to be a little gem in terms of battery life.
As for the warranty, I doubt I'll have this phone for more than a year or so.
Part of the reason I chose it was the excellent deal on the T-Mobile contract I'm on meaning that if I get the urge to 'upgrade' early, I won't feel bad about buying a second phone out of my own pocket.
xdaid said:
Btw, did you try to flash back to your previous rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I haven't.
I only discovered the problem at work this afternoon and started this thread as soon as I got home.
I might give it a go over the weekend but part of me can't really be bothered, I might just send it away.
edit:
MisterWB said:
I got same issue last week, and my mobile operator change my phone by a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UK law only gives a customer a limited period after purchasing during which they can demand a replacement, after that a retailer is entitled to try and repair a faulty item if it is reasonable to do so.
Only if repairing the phone is in some way unsuccessful would the customer then be entitled to a replacement.
Sorry to hear that.
Let us know if Moto honor the warranty. It's very unreasonable to void hardware warranty just because of software modification.
My defy earpiece failed after 4 weeks. I had the orange 2.2 on the phone. Sent it to solidvision (they do warranty repair for motorola phones in belgium and netherlands). 3 weeks later they sent me a new phone, under warranty. On other sites I read that motorola doenst make a problem about earpiece issue even when you flashed other firmware.
So I handed my handset in to be sent away for repair on the 21st of March.
On the 18th of April I contacted CPW's repairs department to query where my handset was at 28 days had elapsed. The guy I spoke to raised a £10 voucher on their systems and put some sort of trace on it for me.
And on the 21st I was contacted by the store I'd handed my phone into to say it was back.
When I say 'it was back', it's not the same handset I sent away - it's a 'clearance' replacement handset. Thankfully my mate who works for CPW checked the handset's history on their systems and it's not a refurb, it was sat in a store for a month without being sold, then recalled to the warehouse so they had one to send to me.
I just hope this 'new' handset has as good a battery life as the one they kept...

[Q] VZ GNex speaker stopped working

hello all...
i'm looking for some help. a couple of days ago my VZ's GNex speaker stopped working. it occured on my way home. my son was watching a cartoon on YouTube and the audio was streaming through my cars head unit via BT. everything was fine. when i turned the car off...the audio didnt transfer to the speaker...as it usually does.
since then...no notification sounds...no ringtones...NOTHING!!!
my headphone jack works fine. my earpiece (for listening to calls) works fine. the phone is ok...except for the speaker.
i am on CM9 running Francos Kernel.
i pulled the battery and rebooted. nothing. i relouded an back up (one that i knew everything was fine)...NOTHING!! i played with every single setting i know...nothing!!
my question is. is it hardware or software? and how do i find out. if its software...then maybe i can fix it...but if its hardware...i think i am going to need a new phone.
any body else encounter this problem? any fixes??
thanks!
so a quick update:
i started all over...went back to 4.02 using the GNex ToolKit...NOTHING!!!
speaker is still not working!!!
so i guess i'm going to head into a VZ store today...
alright...so here is my final status.
i called VZ last night and explain the situation. they transferred me to Asurion, who basically didnt do anything for me. except try to get 100 bucks from me to get a replacement. so after 30mins of a heated conversation...they basically said...we cant do anything...so go talk to VZ.
so i called VZ...and they transferred to Tech Support. and after a 30 second conversation (with the best tech support guy EVER!!) he said...we'll be sending you a replacement phone. should be here tomorrow.
i know that doesnt fix the issue...but i guess its a manufacturer defect...
long story short...i'm getting a new phone tomorrow to fix my speaker issue...

No call audio!!!

This is driving me crazy. I bought the LG G3 about two months ago and a month in i dropped it and the screen broke. I had to wait three weeks for them to repair it because they ****ed up and I just got it back today and behold, I can't hear when people call me. They can hear me and I can hear them on both speaker and with headsets. There is no buzzing or anything like that, just no audio. The speakers work fine with everything else.
Before you answer, No, it's not on mute, yes I checked all the settings to make sure everything was like it should be and I even reset it to factory settings. Please help someone, i'm pissed of to no end and I would love whoever helped me fix this. I really dont feel like waiting another three god damn weeks for my phone back seeing how I've had it for not even a day now.
hundur1995 said:
This is driving me crazy. I bought the LG G3 about two months ago and a month in i dropped it and the screen broke. I had to wait three weeks for them to repair it because they ****ed up and I just got it back today and behold, I can't hear when people call me. They can hear me and I can hear them on both speaker and with headsets. There is no buzzing or anything like that, just no audio. The speakers work fine with everything else.
Before you answer, No, it's not on mute, yes I checked all the settings to make sure everything was like it should be and I even reset it to factory settings. Please help someone, i'm pissed of to no end and I would love whoever helped me fix this. I really dont feel like waiting another three god damn weeks for my phone back seeing how I've had it for not even a day now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem. Never dropped mine though. On hindsight, I recall a few people stating I was difficult to hear and vice versa up to a week before I ran into the same thing as you. Suddenly (as of last Friday, I lost all audio through the earpiece (speakerphone and BT were all that worked). I went in to a TMO store Friday afternoon and am happy to say I got my warranty replacement this afternoon. So far all is OK.
The whole thing was really disappointing. I had just gotten the phone as of 8/12

Would You RMA?

I'm wondering what to do, should I sent it in for repair? I've had it about a month. Since day 1 I've noticed a few issues. First Bluetooth has been terrible and would disconnect from my car. Well would say connected but would start playing over phone speakers. Also when using GPS apps such as Google Maps the phone would restart. Also I keep getting GPS signal lost over and over in both Google Maps and Pokémon Go. I tried reinstalling different versions of of Oxygen and they help for a few hours but then the issues start up again. I've also tried CM 13 and the issue still persists. I have ordered a shipping label from One Plus. I know RMA is a nightmare but do you think I should do it? What will they do when they get the phone?
got sensors problem, no proximity, compass, camera started to lag. reflashed stock rom, still the same. ordered rma, today checked at Arvato, they replaced motherboard and sended back phone to me. it was repaired in Germany, tooked 4 work days till dispatch. If your phone isn't 15 days old from purchase, i recommend to get replacement instead of repair. Good luck
Unfortunately it's been more then 15 days. Thanks for the info though. I was wondering what the process was. I just don't know what else I could do to fix it other then send it in.
I also have issues from time to time with bluetooth. I'm currently on CM btw. If I connect my phone to my car, it shows connected and also the bluetooth volume is available but it does not play music at all.I have to reboot and everything is fine but I found also a workaround. If I start playing music before connecting it worked 100% of the time... Very strange... My GPS disconnects didn't went to zero with cm but it's a lot better. With OOS I had disconnects like every 15 min and with CM randomly every few days.
Do you have another device you are ok with using if your phone is off to RMA for a week or more?
Support is pretty good they'll fix it. Just have to have a spare should that be an issue.
You'll need to create a OnePlus account and register your device. Should be there if you bought from them directly. Then open a ticket. Turn around time was like 10-15 days depending on the issue. I've had a good experience.
Experience was alright. Their repair center is in Texas so should be alright.

Oneplus RMA fiasco

For a long time now I have been in love with my 1+3, but a few months back I noticed that I can barely hear anything in the handset earpiece. This wasn't such a huge problem for me because I mostly use my BT headset so I lived with it. I rely heavily on my phone in day to day work so I was reluctant to submit it to an RMA which would involve several days without a phone. Fast forward a few months and my phone started having random shutdowns and it would remain blocked like that unless I held the power button for extended times (20s+) several times, occasionally the screen backlight would flash. Couldn't even boot into fastboot with vol+power, basically every time I found my phone not responsive I would have to pray that it will turn back on. I tried all the software solutions I could, roll back to stock rom, stock kernel, update radio/modem but the problem still appeared. This was the point where I decided to contact oneplus customer support for an RMA.
It is a disaster, basically you can see why they can sell you cheap phones, well cheaper, they skim on support.
I tried to directly request an RMA and not go through the remote support since I already tried all the flashing they would guide me through but that wasn't an option so I had a remote session scheduled. On the day of the remote session after waiting half an hour without any reaction from them I was already nervous and decided to go on with my day, after another half an hour they contacted me telling me that they are ready. When I told them it wasn't the scheduled time already they came up with the defense that based on their system this is the right time, that did not comfort me at all but at least they agreed to the RMA. (All the scheduling was done in my local time zone, their idea, so it was probably them having no idea about time conversion)
So the phone went into their service, ARVATO, in Czech and spent a weekend and about a day there, there were to reported problems with the phone, one the earpiece, which I imagined is an easily diagnosed and fixed issue and the problem with the random shutdowns that happens occasionally and without me being able to actually find out why it happens. In the support ticket they kept assuring me that they will do a "full inspection" and fix all outstanding issues.
Imagine my surprise when I got a message from DHL that my package will be delivered the next day, I was really surprised as I have received no notifications from 1+ or arvato they just sent the phone back. So I get the phone in hand, nothing seems to be changed so I try to call one of my colleagues at work to test the earpiece...
Surprise surprise, it still doesn't work.
Now I had the phone for about 24h, I haven't met the shutdown issue, YET, but I can guess that they did nothing in the service to try and diagnose the problem if the "full inspection" missed the faulty earpiece.
Checking on the service protocol, what they did to the phone is: Legacy data deleted Functional test conducted Settings set Software update conducted Which pretty much sounds like software only...how nice, right?
When I asked 1+ what happened, why wasn't my phone fixed they gave me a generic response about how sorry they are and that I can send the phone back with another RMA -.-, how nice of them.
At this point I am not sure I wan't anything more to do with 1+, the phones are good but if you can't have a reliable solution for problems, it's pretty much not worth the money you save.
Did you have similar pleasant experiences with 1+ RMA?
dzsonni said:
For a long time now I have been in love with my 1+3, but a few months back I noticed that I can barely hear anything in the handset earpiece. This wasn't such a huge problem for me because I mostly use my BT headset so I lived with it. I rely heavily on my phone in day to day work so I was reluctant to submit it to an RMA which would involve several days without a phone. Fast forward a few months and my phone started having random shutdowns and it would remain blocked like that unless I held the power button for extended times (20s+) several times, occasionally the screen backlight would flash. Couldn't even boot into fastboot with vol+power, basically every time I found my phone not responsive I would have to pray that it will turn back on. I tried all the software solutions I could, roll back to stock rom, stock kernel, update radio/modem but the problem still appeared. This was the point where I decided to contact oneplus customer support for an RMA.
It is a disaster, basically you can see why they can sell you cheap phones, well cheaper, they skim on support.
I tried to directly request an RMA and not go through the remote support since I already tried all the flashing they would guide me through but that wasn't an option so I had a remote session scheduled. On the day of the remote session after waiting half an hour without any reaction from them I was already nervous and decided to go on with my day, after another half an hour they contacted me telling me that they are ready. When I told them it wasn't the scheduled time already they came up with the defense that based on their system this is the right time, that did not comfort me at all but at least they agreed to the RMA. (All the scheduling was done in my local time zone, their idea, so it was probably them having no idea about time conversion)
So the phone went into their service, ARVATO, in Czech and spent a weekend and about a day there, there were to reported problems with the phone, one the earpiece, which I imagined is an easily diagnosed and fixed issue and the problem with the random shutdowns that happens occasionally and without me being able to actually find out why it happens. In the support ticket they kept assuring me that they will do a "full inspection" and fix all outstanding issues.
Imagine my surprise when I got a message from DHL that my package will be delivered the next day, I was really surprised as I have received no notifications from 1+ or arvato they just sent the phone back. So I get the phone in hand, nothing seems to be changed so I try to call one of my colleagues at work to test the earpiece...
Surprise surprise, it still doesn't work.
Now I had the phone for about 24h, I haven't met the shutdown issue, YET, but I can guess that they did nothing in the service to try and diagnose the problem if the "full inspection" missed the faulty earpiece.
Checking on the service protocol, what they did to the phone is: Legacy data deleted Functional test conducted Settings set Software update conducted Which pretty much sounds like software only...how nice, right?
When I asked 1+ what happened, why wasn't my phone fixed they gave me a generic response about how sorry they are and that I can send the phone back with another RMA -.-, how nice of them.
At this point I am not sure I wan't anything more to do with 1+, the phones are good but if you can't have a reliable solution for problems, it's pretty much not worth the money you save.
Did you have similar pleasant experiences with 1+ RMA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Atleast be thankful that you got your phone back, that too in a better condition than when it was sent in.
There was one person here on XDA complaining about his phone being sent to a different country and for about a month atleast, OP was trying to trace the phone. No idea whether he got it back.
Literally sent my 1+3 back today due to earpiece being almost inaudibly quiet.
This doesn't bode well.
My RMA for replacement screen took 6 weeks.
They failed to update the RMA status and their support were incredibly slow.
I did, however, get a perfect working phone back with TGSP
I had to move on to a htc 10. The one plus 3 I bought was used but in absolutely amazing shape. But the ear speaker didn't work and when I tried to make calls I couldnt do it unless I had bt headphones. And when I hung up without bt headphones the phones would freeze and restart. Also the microphone wouldn't work to. I couldn't do a warranty return, so I took it apart and replaced what I could, didn't fix a thing. So I just bought the htc
I had RMA'd my OP3 for the faint earpiece issue. It took a week or two going back and forth for them to issue the RMA. After that, it took about about a week and half for a complete round trip. I was pleasantly surprise they sent to back with a screen protector on and a extra case. I believe it was sent to an Acer service center in Texas.
Support isnt actually bad in my opinion. There are brands such as Motorola / Lenovo who are unreachable regarding RMA and such. Then Samsung who charges €350 just for a screen replacement. I agree that something went wrong and such but this happends everywhere.

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